Things to Do in Miami
Ten stops running from a colourful Art Deco district that was nearly demolished before a real preservation fight saved it to a mansion built by an industrialist who never actually lived to see it finished.
Miami runs on colour, Cuban culture, and a properly significant Art Deco preservation story most visitors never learn the details of, this list heads past what the wider Florida page already covers toward South Beach's pastel buildings, Little Havana's real Cuban community, and a mansion built by one of the wealthiest industrialists in American history. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
South Beach & Ocean Drive's Art Deco District
Home to the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the country, over 800 buildings from the 1920s through 1940s, pastel colours and streamlined geometric details throughout, the district faced real demolition threats in the 1970s before a dedicated preservation campaign, led significantly by activist Barbara Baer Capitman, secured its protection. Ocean Drive itself is the most photographed single stretch, hotels and cafes lining the beachfront directly across from the sand.
Guided walking tours run regularly through the district, book one specifically if the architectural history interests you beyond just the photogenic surface.
Best time Late afternoon for the best light on the buildings
Address Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL
Little Havana
A neighbourhood settled largely by Cuban immigrants following the 1959 revolution, still a real, active community rather than a themed tourist district, Calle Ocho, the main street, is lined with cigar shops where rollers work by hand right in the window, alongside Cuban coffee windows serving strong, sweet cafecito to a steady stream of regulars. Domino Park, a small plaza where locals gather daily for competitive games, remains one of the neighbourhood's most enduring, authentic sights.
Visit respectfully, this is a real, living community, engage with the neighbourhood's culture directly rather than treating it purely as a photo backdrop.
Address Calle Ocho, Little Havana, Miami, FL
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Built between 1914 and 1922 for industrialist James Deering, an Italian Renaissance-style villa on Biscayne Bay, considerably more elaborate than most estates from the same period, the formal gardens feature terraces and fountains modelled directly on European garden design. Deering never lived to see the estate in its final complete form, having died in 1925, only a few years after moving in.
The bayfront setting, with a decorative stone barge sitting just offshore, adds a striking backdrop beyond the house and gardens themselves, allow time to walk the full grounds.
Hours Daily, roughly 9.30am-4.30pm, hours vary
Address 3251 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL
Wynwood Walls
A former industrial warehouse district transformed into a real open-air street art gallery, over 50 large-scale murals from internationally recognised artists cover the district's walls, an initiative that's since expanded into an ongoing outdoor art destination rather than a static, one-time project. The surrounding neighbourhood is home to breweries, galleries, and independent shops, allow a full afternoon to wander beyond just the core wall installations.
This area continues to change regularly as murals get repainted and new artists contribute, check current highlights before visiting if a specific piece drew you here.
Address Wynwood, Miami, FL
Miami's Cuban Food
Miami's Cuban food scene goes considerably deeper than the well-known sandwich alone, roast pork, black beans and rice, and plantains all show up throughout the city's Cuban restaurants, most concentrated in and around Little Havana. Versailles, operating since 1971, remains the most established, well-regarded spot for the full traditional experience, a proper local institution rather than a tourist-oriented restaurant.
Order a proper cafecito, the small, intensely sweet Cuban espresso, at any of the walk-up coffee windows found throughout Little Havana specifically, a real local ritual rather than a novelty drink.
Address Versailles, 3555 SW 8th St, Miami, FL
Zoo Miami
One of the largest zoos in the country by land area, home to a substantial collection focused specifically on tropical and subtropical species suited to Miami's own climate, several exhibits run cageless, animals separated from visitors by moats rather than bars. The walk-through aviary lets birds fly freely overhead, an immersive touch beyond standard viewing enclosures.
This is considerably spread out given the park's scale, rent a tram or golf cart if extensive walking in Miami's heat isn't the plan.
Hours Daily, roughly 9.30am-5.30pm
Address 12400 SW 152nd St, Miami, FL
Bayside Marketplace
A waterfront shopping and dining complex right on Biscayne Bay, considerably more relaxed than a typical mall given the open-air layout, and the waterfront views cost nothing regardless of whether you buy anything. Boat tours depart regularly from the adjacent marina, running past the mansions of Millionaire's Row and offering skyline views from the water, a good add-on beyond the shopping and dining alone.
This works well as an evening stop, time a visit for sunset when the bay and the downtown skyline both catch particularly good light.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am-10pm, hours vary
Address 401 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL
Key Biscayne & Cape Florida Lighthouse
A barrier island connected to the mainland by a scenic causeway, considerably quieter and more low-key than the busier South Beach stretch, Cape Florida Lighthouse, the oldest standing structure in South Florida, survived a direct 1836 attack during the Second Seminole War and remains open for climbing today. The beaches here are wide and family-friendly, calmer than the more crowded stretches further north.
This works well as a half-day escape from the busier city stops, allow time for both the lighthouse climb and a stretch on the beach itself.
Best time Weekday mornings for the calmest beaches
Address Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, FL
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
A properly modern science museum, a three-story aquarium tank recreates the Gulf Stream ecosystem directly, sharks and rays visible from multiple levels, alongside a planetarium running regular shows on astronomy and the night sky. This works particularly well for kids across a wide age range, hands-on exhibits throughout hold attention considerably longer than a typical static museum display.
This sits right downtown near Bayside Marketplace, a good combination if you're spending a full day in that part of the city.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am-6pm
Address 1101 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL
Freedom Tower
Modelled after Seville's Giralda bell tower, the Freedom Tower served as the primary processing centre for hundreds of thousands of Cuban refugees arriving in Miami between 1962 and 1974, earning it a nickname as the 'Ellis Island of the South' among the Cuban-American community it processed. The building now operates as a museum and cultural centre, covering this history in real, careful depth for anyone interested in the wider story behind Miami's Cuban community.
This is a significant historical stop, a good combination with a Little Havana visit given the direct connection between the two.
Hours Check current museum schedule
Address 600 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL
Best time to visit Miami
November through April covers the most comfortable window for the majority of this list, drier and considerably less humid than Miami's long, intense summer. For the full month-by-month breakdown, see our Best Time to Visit Miami guide.
Hurricane season runs roughly June through November, check forecasts closely if travelling during these months.
Getting around Miami
A car works best for this list, the distances between South Beach, Little Havana, and Key Biscayne run further than they appear on a map, though South Beach itself stays walkable once you've arrived. If you're mapping out exactly how to spend your time, our 24 Hours in Miami and 2 Day Miami Itinerary guides lay out an hour-by-hour and day-by-day plan.
Keeping an eye on costs? Miami on a Budget covers what's free and where the tourist markup actually is. Travelling as a couple? Miami for Couples covers South Pointe Park at sunset and a Biscayne Bay sail. And once your dates are set, Where to Stay & Eat in Miami breaks down the neighbourhoods.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Miami worth visiting beyond South Beach?
- Yes, easily, Little Havana, Vizcaya, and Wynwood Walls all offer a considerably deeper experience than the beach alone, well-known as it is.
- How many days do you need in Miami?
- Five days gives a comfortable pace to cover South Beach, Little Havana, and either Vizcaya or Wynwood.
- Is Miami expensive to visit?
- Moderate, South Beach accommodation costs more than the wider national average, though food in Little Havana and several other stops on this list stay reasonably affordable.
- What's the best Miami trip for kids?
- Zoo Miami and the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a city that runs on considerably more colour and culture than the beach alone suggests.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
